202.7 RV miles today, 10,107 total

Homeward Bound. We left Lynchburg after a fun morning at the downtown Farmer’s Market, celebrating 230 years founded in 1783, “Old as Dirt.” Purchased a BBQ grill for Victoria & Colin at the consignment store for a whopping $10.50. From the hills of Virginia through the piedmont of NC to the sandhills of Fayetteville we traveled. It was surreal pulling back onto our Longleaf Drive & home. It’s hard to imagine we have been gone over 2 months on this fascinating journey across America. We arrived late afternoon Saturday to find a baby opossum in our bedroom closet. After catching it in Toby’s crate, we freed it into the wild of our great country!?!

We have seen many things, experienced many places, smelled many aromas, visited many friends & family, & gotten to know our great country even more over these last 10,000+ miles. What a blessing! Epilogue to follow…Welcome Home Millers! From Longleaf Drive in Fayetteville, North Carolina, m, b & t

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.” –Douglas Adams

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” — Leonardo da Vinci

31.3 RV miles today, 9,904.3 total 

We spent the day helping Victoria pack up her school room to check out. We also took the time to refill our DEF (Diesal Exhaust Fluid), which is an aqueous urea solution (basically, processed cow urine?!?) required ~ every 3,500 miles in the newer diesal engine cars/trucks for cleaner exhaust (inconvenient rightly considered adventure). We had dinner at Benjamin’s in Forest, Virginia before heading to stay with Victoria & Colin at their duplex. From Lynchburg, VA, m, b & t

Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be useful to the town of Lynchburg. I consider it to be the most interesting spot in the state.”-Thomas Jefferson –3rd President of the United States of America (1743-1826)

“An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered.” — G.K. Chestecton — British Writer (1874-1936)

“Seize from every moment its unique novelty, and do not prepare your joys.” — Andre Gide–French critic, essayist, & novelist (1869 -1951)

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 421 RV miles today, 9,873 total         

We are now complete having seen all of our children on this tour & all the Newman kids to complete the NewMillerman saga.                      

“Everywhere is walking distance, if you have the time.” –Stephen Wright

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”–Ralph Waldo Emerson

                                                                                                                                                              “The privelege of a lifetime is being who you are.” –Joseph Campbell (1904 – 1987)

312.7 miles today, 1,261.7 miles total

Incredible morning tour of a 2 mile portion of the 400 mile labyrinth of the largest cave system in the world…MAMMOTH. We went down to a depth of 400 feet to follow in the footsteps of previous men over the last 5,000 years here. Below is a spaghetti-like picture which is a 3-D representation of the caves…amazing stuff! Then driving 300 miles onto Memphis to arrive at Graceland RV Park at Elvis’ homeplace.  m,b & t

Advice from a Cave: “Breathe deep, Find beauty in unexpected places, Search inward, See the hole picture, Good things take time, Look beneath the surface, Hang tight.” –ilan shamir

Day Three, 182.6 miles today, 949 miles

We visited our horse, George, strutting his stuff in Lousiville! Toby is seen in the saddle, so to speak, playing peek-a-boo in our horseless carriages! And we’re having fun times in the Thumper-mobile high tech wagon with Beth & Toby riding shotgun! It was a gorgeous day in Kentucky! Tomorrow we undertake to go underway undergrowth to undergo undercover underground…understand!?!? The “hollowed out” answer to this riddle tomorrow,  m,b & t

If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”  –Thumper from “Bambi” 1942)

Day Three, 164.4 miles today, 766.4 miles total. We are staying at the Kentucky Horse Park Campground in Lexington for 2 nights. Toured the American Saddlebred Museum, International Museum of the Horse, Horse Breeds of the World, & Horse Hall of Champions.  Headed over to Louisville to see our two horses, George & Patrick, who got a workout in the ring.

“No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.” Winston Churchill

“All you need for happiness is a good gun, a good horse, and a good wife.” — Daniel Boone

Day Two, 329 miles today, 602 miles total. Today, we passed over the Great Smokey Mountains through Tennessee into Kentucky to visit my great…grandfather’s original Traveler’s Rest homeplace including the original summer kitchen from 1786 and the family cemetery. Isaac Shelby (whom our youngest daughter, Shelby, is named after) was the 1st & 5th Governor of Kentucky & one of the hero’s of the Revolutionary War &  the War of 1812,  receiving the Congressional Gold  Medal of Honor. Counties in nine states and towns in 11 states have been named in his honor. The residence & estate are now in the care of Roseann & David Downey,  Roseann was gracious to give us a personal tour complete with hot tea & cheesecake. After this memorable afternoon, we proceeded to the Kentucky Horse Park Campground in Lexington. m, b & t

“Every man is a quotation from all his ancestors.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson